Unseen Servant is a 1st-level control spell available on the Bard, Warlock, and Wizard spell lists.
Unseen Servant opens a portal to the spiritual world and summons a spectral entity that will carry out whatever task you assign.
The Unseen Servant is always at your command, whether you need a gofer to grab and carry something for you or a guardian to keep an eye on your lair.
By using this spectral helper, you can overcome many problems.
The Player’s Handbook says the following:
Contents
Unseen Servant 5e
1st-level Conjuration (Ritual)
Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 60 feet
Components: V, S, M (one piece of string and a bit of wood)
Duration: 1 hour
This spell creates an invisible, thoughtless, shapeless, Medium force that undertakes simple tasks at your command till the spell ends.
The servant emerges into existence in an unoccupied area on the ground within range. It has AC 10, a Strength of 2, and 1 hit point, and it cannot attack. If it drops to 0 HP, the spell ends.
Tasks
Once during each of your turns, as a bonus action, you can mentally order the servant to travel up to 15 feet and interact with an object.
The servant is capable of simple household chores like fetching items, cleaning, mending, folding clothes, lighting fires, serving food, and pouring wine, just like a human servant would.
When you give the command, the servant starts working on the assignment as quickly as it can until it is finished, at which point it waits for your next instruction.
The spell ends if you command the servant to perform a task that would move it more than 60 feet away from you.
When Can Classes Pick Unseen Servant?
Traditional classes like the Bard, Warlock, and Wizard can freely unlock Unseen Servant.
All three classes mentioned above can unlock and use Unseen Servant at level 1.
No subclasses can freely unlock Unseen Servant.
Is Unseen Servant Good in 5e?
Unseen Servant is a very popular and helpful spell in 5e. You can use it to solve riddles, gather information, and help players complete tasks without placing themselves in danger.
Advantages – Unseen Servant
Cost Effective
Unseen Servant requires only a single action to cast and has a low material component cost of a piece of string and a bit of wood.
This makes it a relatively inexpensive option compared to hiring mercenaries or acquiring more expensive magic items that perform similar tasks.
Note: Most of the time, you’ll also be casting it outside of combat, which means you’ll always have actions to use in dire situations.
Ritual Option
Ritual spells aren’t very common, but they’re much better to cast than regular spells.
Casting a spell as a ritual gives the spell a longer casting time (up to the DM, since Unseen Servant uses an action) but doesn’t use a spell slot.
This conserves their spell slots for other, more pressing needs, giving a caster much more versatility than ordinary spells.
Disadvantages – Unseen Servant
Limited Tasks
Unseen Servant can only perform simple tasks.
It cannot engage in combat, operate heavy machinery, or perform tasks that require a high degree of physical strength. The servant is also unable to speak or understand complex instructions, which limits it even more.
Be sure to understand this, and try to use the servant for tasks you know it can perform. Using it with planning can prevent you from wasting one action and losing your materials.
Vulnerable on Long Missions
Unseen Servant only lasts 1 hour, meaning if you take it on a long adventure, you’d need to recast the spell.
Recasting Unseen Servant doesn’t take much, but what benefit will it really have? It can’t fight in combat, lift heavy things or listen to complex orders.
Instead, invest your action into something that will assist your party. Think before casting Unseen Servant. Don’t just mindlessly cast it; you’ll regret it later.
Spells Similar To Unseen Servant 5e
Similar spells to Unseen Servant are Mage Hand, Minor Illusion, Animate Object, and Simulacrum.
When or How Should I Use Unseen Servant?
Task Allocation
Players can delegate tasks to the servant if they don’t have time or the desire to perform them themselves.
At higher levels, you don’t want to be wasting time. So this servant can be used to carry objects, set up camp, or clean the area, freeing you from mundane tasks and letting you focus on more important matters.
Distraction
Unseen Servant is invisible, meaning you can use it to distract or disturb ordinary people.
You can use it to cause disturbances, such as knocking over objects or making loud noises to draw attention away from you and your allies.
Note: Unseen Servant is handy when players are in a situation where they need to escape quickly or avoid detection.
Exploration
You can order your Unseen Servant to move over areas that may be trapped or challenging to reach.
Doing this will put nobody in danger, improving the safety of everyone in your party.
It can’t take damage from physical sources, so you don’t have to recast the spell or fear it being canceled.
Looting
When looting, the chests or platforms housing the items can sometimes be cursed or trapped.
By commanding your servant, they can fetch the item for you (if it isn’t too heavy) and endure all the risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Unseen Servant Go Through Walls?
The Unseen Servant cannot physically move through walls, as it isn’t added in the description.
Can I Have Multiple Unseen Servants at Once?
Unseen Servant has no Concentration, so you can have as many servants as you can cast.
You’ll eventually run out of spell slots and actions, meaning you’ll have to rest at some point.
Final Thoughts
Players might think Unseen Servant as the worse version of spells like Simulacrum. That isn’t the case, as you need to compare it to other 1st-level spells.
You’ll find that it does surprisingly well, having a low cost and being quite helpful around your base.
Some high-level players use it just to clean their base; it’s low-cost and uses a low-level spell slot!